Wei Wuxian (
acrookedpath) wrote2021-10-19 12:33 pm
[pfsb] happy halloween!
It's that time of year again.
The inn is bustling. All manner of strange outfits have been donned (some more willingly than others). Lanterns flicker ominously in the corners, pumpkins stand sentry at either end of the bar, and every order comes complete with a handful of wrapped candies.
And -- if you're Wei Wuxian -- Madam Bar has also gifted you with an enormous array of tiny cakes, each one with a little candle stuck in its center. His second birthday at the inn has arrived, and he could not be more pleased.
(He's also wearing a red T-shirt that reads, simply, I'M THE CHAOS. Just like last year, he has set his mild confusion aside in favor of delight at the bounty Madam Bar has given him.)
The inn is bustling. All manner of strange outfits have been donned (some more willingly than others). Lanterns flicker ominously in the corners, pumpkins stand sentry at either end of the bar, and every order comes complete with a handful of wrapped candies.
And -- if you're Wei Wuxian -- Madam Bar has also gifted you with an enormous array of tiny cakes, each one with a little candle stuck in its center. His second birthday at the inn has arrived, and he could not be more pleased.
(He's also wearing a red T-shirt that reads, simply, I'M THE CHAOS. Just like last year, he has set his mild confusion aside in favor of delight at the bounty Madam Bar has given him.)

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Is he biased? Of course. Does he care? Not even a little!
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She looks down at the paper, which shifts before her eyes to show a heading at the top that says 'Recipe.' She blinks.
"You want me to write how to make it?"
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Both rats nod vigorously. The newest arrival blinks up at Jiang Yanli with such wide-eyed hope that Wei Wuxian has to stifle a laugh.
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"If I tell you, you have to make it for A-Xian whenever he wants."
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Wei Wuxian has to swallow hard around the sudden lump in his throat. "Shijie," he whispers, too overcome to say anything else.
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Within moments he's beaming again, bright-eyed, and it is all he can do not to throw his arms around his shijie again.
"I will make sure it's a very diligent recording, so it will be impossible to make mistakes."
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"I know you will. But eat your soup first. We don't want it to get cold," she admonishes, gently.
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There will be future bowls of soup. That eases a little of the ache. But this one -- this one, his shijie made herself, and he's going to treasure it for as long as possible.
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She sits quietly beside him, thinking over the recipe, and feels at peace.
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At least until one of the rats makes a tiny, almost throat-clearing squeak that sounds like a pointed ahem.
"Yes, yes, I know, we have a recipe to write," he says with another laugh. Quickly, he sneaks an arm around his shijie to return the hug, then straightens up. "Let's get to work before it grows too late."
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Jiang Yanli laughs. "I think the best way is for me to pretend to make it - or I could make another batch?" she asks the rats, who nod. "Very well. I will make another batch, and A-Xian, you write down everything I do as I do it."
She starts to gather the ingredients from the places they'd gotten them before.
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Every ingredient, every motion of the knife, every flick of the wrist as she adds spices to the burgeoning broth -- he notes it all, even scribbling pictures here and there to get the full experience. Wei Wuxian could have left some of it out, most likely, but why would he? If someone else is going to make his shijie's soup, they need to do it right.
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She beams at A-Xian. "Did you get it all?"
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They squeak and nod their heads at her, and she gives a polite nod back.
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The chef-rat chatters, straightening up to its full height with great dignity, and accepts the pad and pen.
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Jiang Yanli's smile is filled with sweet and absolute delight as she watches.
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"So now we have another hour to spend elsewhere!" he says. "Perhaps I could show you the library? Or the House of Arch?"
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He beckons Jiang Yanli to follow him, all but bouncing on the tips of his toes.
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